No biking paradise, but San Diego gets better

Tina Shinsato stops at the Bike To Work Day Pit Stop in front of ViaSat on El Camino Real in Carlsbad on her way to work at a tech company near Palomar Airport on Friday, May 21, 2010. Staffing the pit stop at right is ViaSat employee David Casterton.
— Charlie Neuman / Union-Tribune

Tina Shinsato stops at the Bike To Work Day Pit Stop in front of ViaSat on El Camino Real in Carlsbad on her way to work at a tech company near Palomar Airport on Friday, May 21, 2010. Staffing the pit stop at right is ViaSat employee David Casterton.
— Charlie Neuman / Union-Tribune

After a stop at the Bike To Work Day Pit Stop in front of ViaSat on El Camino Real in Carlsbad, Cassiano Scotto, left, and Julie Morales wait for the traffic light to change before continuing their trip to work at a tech company near Palomar Airport on Friday, May 21, 2010. — Charlie Neuman / Union-Tribune

+Read Caption

After a stop at the Bike To Work Day Pit Stop in front of ViaSat on El Camino Real in Carlsbad, Cassiano Scotto, left, and Julie Morales wait for the traffic light to change before continuing their trip to work at a tech company near Palomar Airport on Friday, May 21, 2010.
— Charlie Neuman / Union-Tribune

On the web

San Diego  More than 5,000 San Diego County cyclists traded briefcases for helmets Friday and took to the roads in celebration of Bike to Work Day. But did the roads take to them?

Just how bike-friendly are San Diego County roadways?

“Although San Diego County is a gorgeous place to cycle with awesome scenery, I feel we still have a long way to go before we’re considered bike-friendly. But we’re probably headed in the right direction,” said Odale Baker, founder and president of Major Taylor Cycling Club of San Diego and an avid cyclist averaging nearly 200 miles a week.

Baker would like to see more and wider bike lanes, better road maintenance and more motorist courtesy.

“People need to realize that we are on a vehicle, too, and have the same rights to the road as the motorist,” Baker said. “There needs to be a mutual respect between cyclists and motorists. We need to share the road.”

Regular bike commuter Walt Downey, manager of Nytro Multisport in Encinitas, said Friday that there were “significantly more cyclists commuting today than normal.”

Downey’s shop, which was a pit stop for Bike To Work Day, provided refreshments and maps to about 120 cyclists between 6 and 9 a.m.

San Diego County has more than 1,400 miles of biking facilities, including bike paths, lanes and routes, according to the San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, which submitted a regional bike plan to its transportation committee Friday.

The plan proposes education and awareness programs for both cyclists and motorists, 280 miles of new bike lanes and paths, and a $7 million to $9 million annual allowance to be spent on improving cycling facilities in the county.

“When you ride your bike to a restaurant or work, there’s often no place to park it and lock it up,” said the San Diego Bike Shop mechanic, who rides more than 100 miles a week.

And while biking to work may seem like a fun and environmentally smart idea, it’s not easy to do in San Diego.

“Too many areas around the county don’t connect for cyclists, so you often have to get on the freeway for a while, and nobody is comfortable doing that,” said Mike Olson, former racing cyclist and owner of the local Trek Bicycle Superstores. (Some parts of the freeway are open to cyclists.)

Cycling accommodations and acceptance seem to vary from place to place.

“It all depends on where you ride. There are places that are terrific places to ride and others that don’t have a very welcoming aspect for cyclists,” said Kathy Keehan, executive director of the San Diego Bicycle Coalition, a nonprofit cycling advocacy group.

She singled out Coronado and Oceanside as the county’s two shining stars. Both have miles of bike lanes, separated bike paths and local motorists who pay attention to and respect cyclists on the road.

“There are so many cyclists in Coronado that motorists are used to them and watch out for them,” Keehan said. “I think the more people (cycle), the more (motorists) have an accepting attitude toward them.”

“I think San Diego County is bike-friendly, overall,” said Colleen Windsor, a SANDAG spokeswoman. “But we’re looking to improve what we already have.”